Show and Tell
by kirayasha aka kira
Summary: Part of my Modern AU, Hiten finds his life is turned upside down by his diagnosis, only to find support in an unexpected place…


Title: Show and Tell

Fandom: Inuyasha

Author: kira

Chars/Pairs: Hiten/Byakuya

Genres: romance/angst

Warnings: none

Word Count: 6054

Summary: Part of my Modern AU, Hiten finds his life is turned upside down by his diagnosis, only to find support in an unexpected place…

Author's note: Special thanks to my beta, Jen, for looking this over and to Kat, giving me a title.

888

Samurai's after concert party was in full swing when Hiten entered the main area backstage. The music was blaring and people were drinking freely. Normally he would be in the thick of things, chatting up the ladies, while keeping an eye out for some cute guy he would eventually leave with. Now that Hiten found he was HIV positive, it put a bit of a damper on things. So instead of being the life of the party, he hung back in the shadows, nursing his beer. It hurt, but he put a brave face on things, claiming a headache as the reason for his lack partying.

Hiten sighed softly. It was the first time Bankotsu had missed a backstage party and even though he had shared the news with his old friend and lover, having slept with him a few months ago, he thought for sure Bankotsu would be here. They had spoken several times since then, but Hiten guessed his new boyfriend, the "actress/model" Jakotsu, was proving to be more serious than he thought. _Good for him…/_ Hiten thought sadly.

Scanning the crowd for a sign of his brother, Manten, Hiten turned around and came face to face with a very pretty young woman. And yet, when he took a good look at her, he was surprised to find it was a guy he was staring at and not only that he was vaguely familiar. Blushing at his lack of manners, Hiten said, "Excuse me."

"What?"

"I said 'Excuse me'!" Hiten said a bit louder. The music was blaring and he found himself getting a headache for real.

The guy frowned. "Oh…"

"I know, it's kinda hard to hear."

"Do you think we can go somewhere quieter?"

Hiten thought it over. "Sure... Do you want to go back to my hotel? Not that I'm trying to pick you up or anything."

The guy laughed. "Okay. I'm Byakuya by the way. I don't know if you remember me or not, but we met about six months ago when Samurai's latest album came out. It was at that music store in Ginza."

"That's how I know you!" Hiten grinned. "I was trying to remember where I knew you from. How are you?"

"Pretty good… You guys were great tonight!"

"Thanks!"

"Don't mention it. Do you think we can go? It's so loud here and I'd love to catch up on things."

"Sure, just let me just tell my brother I'm leaving and we can go."

"Okay…" Byakuya followed him when he turned to go.

"Do you mind waiting here?"

"No…" Byakuya said. "I wait over there for you." He nodded towards the door.

"Thanks."

Hiten hurried off in search of his brother. He found him a few minutes later, making out with his girlfriend in a secluded corner. "Hey, Manten, come're."

Manten rolled his eyes. He whispered something to his half dressed girlfriend, and after she got off his lap, he stood and walked over to his brother. "What do you want, Hi-chan?"

"I'm heading back to the hotel."

"It's still early."

"I know."

"Oh hell, you're not sleeping with someone? Hiten, you can't!"

It was Hiten's turn to roll his eyes. "I know that… I met someone I know and we just want to talk."

"That's all you're going to do…?"

"Yes!" It came out harsher than Hiten had expected, but he was still annoyed. "I know I'm a walking pariah, Man-chan! God damn it! I never should have told you!"

"The hell you should have! This isn't some fucking lil cold you've got!"

"Can you keep it down?" Hiten hissed. "If rumors start flying we can kiss our careers good-bye!"

"Sorry… but still, Hi-chan."

"But nothing! I found a friend, someone I can talk to. I'm fucking lonely, Man-chan. My best friend is too wrapped up in his new 'girlfriend' to want to have anything to do with me anymore."_ That may have something to do with telling him about my status… but who knows…? I think I lost you a long time ago, Ban-chan, and I'm only realizing it now…_

"I'm sorry…"

"I wasn't talking about you…" Hiten smiled at his brother. "Anyway, I'm outta here. See you tomorrow at breakfast." And without waiting for his brother to reply, Hiten simply turned and walked away.

Manten watched him walk over to a pretty androgynous looking person and leave with them. It was not the first time he wished things had gone differently between his brother and their former band-mate Kusao Bankotsu and he had a feeling it was not going to be the last. Shaking his head, he went looking for his girlfriend.

"Sorry that took so long."

"It's okay. So are you ready to go?"

"Yeah… I thought we'd go drink in the bar, that's if you're old enough."

Byakuya laughed. "I'm street legal if that's what you're worried about," he smirked.

"I am… Seriously, you old enough? I don't need any trouble and we could just as easily go for coffee. Hell, we're in the heart of Tokyo, we could get whatever we want." He grinned and Byakuya laughed.

"I know, right?"

"Yup… so are you going to answer my question or what?"

"Twenty-one; street legal anywhere in the world. I know I look like a lil kid, but I'm old enough."

"And that's good enough for me… if they card you and you're not, well, it's been nice knowing you, kid," Hiten teased.

"And you too, old man."

"I'm not an 'old man.' Geeze… I'm only thirty, so I'm not that much older than you are."

"Okay, but I don't know you well enough to call you 'Hi-chan' and 'Hiten-san' seems so formal. Don't get me wrong, I'm not usually this forward, but I figured you're tired of people kissing your ass all the time. I know I am and trust me, I've had mine kissed enough times to know it gets real old real fast."

"Wow… twenty-one and jaded," Hiten smirked as they walked outside and headed towards the waiting limos.

"Watch it, old man," Byakuya teased. "I'm a model and stop laughing! It's not that funny."

"Sorry…" Hiten snickered.

"Anyway…: Byakuya drawled. "I'm a model and you'd be surprised how many people kiss your ass not to mention how many times you have to kiss ass in order get and or keep a job." He sighed.

Hiten stared at him for a minute, unsure if he made the right decision in leaving the party with him. The last thing he wanted was a pity party for two. But when Byakuya flashed his trademark smile at the rock star, he figured it would be an interesting evening, if nothing else. _A pity I can't sleep with him… He looks like a good lay… But I think he'd make a better friend and I could really use one more than a lover…_

They got into the limo, and Hiten told the driver to head back to the hotel. They sat back, each lost in their own thoughts. As the blocks sped by, Hiten was wondering if he made a mistake in asking Byakuya to go with him. The silence was beginning to stretch between them like a living thing, when he felt a foot in crotch. He looked up to see the younger man smirking at him. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "What?"

"I was wondering if you were going to offer me a drink, or if I'd have to get it myself." Byakuya looked pointedly at the limo's well stocked bar.

Hiten laughed. "Get it yourself, and get me a Kirin while you're at it."

Byakuya rolled his eyes at him, but bringing his foot back down to rest by the other one, he leaned forward and to the side, and helped himself to a couple of beers. Opening one, he handed it to Hiten and opened the other for himself. "Cheers…" he said, holding the bottle up, before drinking from it.

"Cheers…" Hiten found himself saying as he mirrored the younger man's actions.

They drank in companionable silence, this time broken by the odd attempts at small talk. Several Kirins later, the limo pulled up in front of the Hotel Okura. The driver parked and opened the door for them and they got out.

Byakuya knew the place from his last photo shoot and he was surprised to find Samurai was staying there. It was a very posh hotel and given the band's reputation, it was the last place he would imagine they would stay in. Or want to stay in. His suspicions proved correct when they entered the lobby and found both hotel bars had closed about an hour and a half ago.

"Damn it!" Hiten swore. He huffed, taking it as a personal affront. Turning to Byakuya, he said, "I guess we'll have to go drink in my room… Just don't…"

"Get the wrong idea," he finished for him. "I know, we said we'd hang in the hotel bar, and I somehow get the impression this wasn't an elaborate ruse to get me up to your room." Byakuya shrugged. "Although, I think we should take a walk and get some more Kirins."

"Stupid mini-bar has all that shit, so let's go."

After a quick walk across the lobby to the elevators and a ride up, they walked down the hall. They were on the floor with the Grand Comfort rooms. Hiten, along with the rest of the band, had a comfort double, a large, spacious room, with a double bed, a desk, mini-bar and not much else. Byakuya smiled at the window in the shower. He imagined a couple of young nubile groupies showering in there for Hiten's pleasure, while the man himself was actually busy getting the beer out of the mini-bar fridge. He made himself comfortable on the end of the bed. "Nice place…"

"It's a room…" Hiten handed a beer to Byakuya and sat down next to him.

"Yeah, but some are better than others. So what made you pick this place?"

"I have no idea why my stupid manager did. Like I said, it's a room." Hiten tilted the bottle back and drank his beer. "It's the same as any number of rooms I've been in. Some have western beds, some futons, but in the end, it's just a place to sleep between gigs." He shrugged and took another swig of his beer.

Byakuya also drank his beer. "I hear you. I've seen my fair share of them while I'm away on a shoot. Ever been to Europe?"

"Plenty of times. We've even been to the states." Hiten grinned.

"Cool! I've always wanted to go there."

"New York's kinda like Tokyo, but has a different vibe…." Hiten finished his beer. "You want another one?"

Byakuya finished his. "Sure…" He watched him get up and go back over to the mini-bar. _I wonder what his problem is… he keeps looking at me like he wants to end up in bed, but he seems reluctant to go any further than just talk… Rumor had it he was sleeping with his old band-mate, so he must gay, if not bi… Maybe he wants me to puts the moves on him instead…Then again, I get the feeling he just wants to be friends, which is cool, I guess…_"So what do you want to do?"

Hiten shrugged and handed him a beer. "I don't know… Normally, I…" he trailed off to think about the best way to put it, but the truth won out. "Normally I'd be trying my best to get in your pants."

Byakuya smiled. "Don't worry, I'm gay for one thing and for another, your 'secret's' safe with me." He watched the play of emotion flit across the other man's face at the mention of secrets. i_He doesn't look like the type to be hiding a wife anywhere… So what's such a huge secret…? I doubt anyone would give a rat's ass if he was gay, although some fans might, but still… Then again some guys like to hide in the closet…/i_ "We wouldn't want the fans to ditch you over something so stupid." He sipped his beer. "I bet half of them were creaming in their pants at the concert tonight anyway."

Hiten snorted in amusement. "Probably. But, I'm too tired…" He sadly took another swig of his beer.

"Oh really?" Byakuya drawled. "You know, if you didn't drink so much, you wouldn't have performance problems."

"You got a smart mouth on you, kid."

"So…? I'm just glad you didn't tell me how much I look like that asshole Jakotsu. Shit! You'd swear he was the first queen to make it big."

Hiten frowned. Byakuya had hit a little too close to home for his liking with his comment about Jakotsu as the man was now his friend and would-be lover Bankotsu's main squeeze. And when he thought about it, the guy did bear a passing resemblance to cross-dressing model/actress, but there was something else about him, something that was fresh and youthful, that Hiten found much more attractive. "Yeah…" He smiled and stared off into space, lost in thought about what might have been if things had been different between himself and Bankostu.

"What?" Byakuya turned his head to follow his gaze. "You kinky bastard!" He grinned. "You want me to get naked for you and take a shower? I did that for a photo shoot for some plumbing fixtures." He rolled his eyes and laughed." By the time we were done, the photographer had a huge boner, so he sent everyone home and jerked off while he watched me shower. Kinky bastard once had me dress up like a school girl and wanted to do a porn shoot. I told him to fuck off. I didn't work for a year after that, but I came back, now that Jakotsu," he said the name like it left a bad taste in his mouth, "was all over Vogue."

"Wow…" Hiten said as he was pulled from his reverie.

Byakuya shrugged. "That was then, this is now. I'm poised to take over his share of the market anyway, now that he's decided he wants to be an actress."

"Good luck. You know, you'll probably do better than he did anyway. He's pretty, but I think you've got something he's lacking."

Byakuya blushed. "Thanks… so do you want me to get naked or what? Or did your dick fall off, old man?" He grinned and raised his beer in a salute before drinking it.

Hiten laughed. "No, it didn't… and if you're in such a hurry to get naked, why tell me about it? Why don't you go ahead and do it?" He grinned cockily at him. The kid seemed like he was all talk and no action which was fine with him. Even though he longed for the days when it would have been a problem, Hiten decided he wanted to get to know the guy better as he liked his attitude although he suspected it was more for show than anything else. The was something very soft and vulnerable about the guy that struck a chord in Hiten, and treating him like a quick and easy fuck seemed like the quickest way to lose him. Not that he could treat him like that anyway, given his diagnosis.

Byakuya stood up and kicked off his sneakers. "Works for me." He reached for the hem of his Led Zepplin t-shirt and lifted it up and over his head. Thin and wiry, he wore a self satisfied smirk at the look the rock star gave him. He balled up his t-shirt and threw at Hiten, before unzipping his leather jeans and sliding them down past his hips. Since he was going commando, he paused to give his "audience" a good look at his package, before taking them off completely. His socks quickly followed. Giving Hiten his best sultry look, Byakuya moved to stand in front of him. "You like?" he purred._ I can't believe I'm doing this! What the hell's the matter with me…? The poor thing looks like he could use a friend and I'm trying to seduce him…_ he mentally berated himself. i_Well, I'd better finish what I started…_

"Yeah…" Hiten wanted to touch him so badly he could taste it._ Why'd my life have to be so fucked-up…? If you only knew how much I want to fuck you… No! Make love to you… softly and gently and all night long…_

"Then touch me…" Byakuya said as if he had read the rock star's mind.i_ And hold meand do all the things you know you want to do to me… Things I want you to do to me… /i_

"I don't know…" _You make it so hard to be good…_

Byakuya sighed. "Look, I'm not some groupie who's gonna write a 'tell-all' cuz we slept together. You want to touch me, touch me."_ Please… I kinda want you to touch me…  
_

Hiten reached out and put his hands on the younger man's hips, pulling him closer.

"That's it…" Byakuya purred when Hiten sucked on his nipple. He felt himself growing hard when he felt the other's man's hand wrap around his cock. Moaning softly as the rock star stroked him, he wondered if the man was going to do him after all, when he abruptly stopped.

"I can't…" Hiten pushed him away. "I'm sorry… when I think of all the times I've had unprotected sex and all the shit that's going around…" _Oh hell, I don't even want to think about the possibility of infecting people cuz I had no idea I was sick…_

He looked so upset, Byakuya thought he was going to cry. "Well, if you're wondering, I'm clean." He held up a hand to stop the other man's protest. "I know you think I'm just saying that, but I am. I make sure to have protection with me as you never know, so if you're worried about a condom, I've got a few in my back pocket, and I also get tested every six months." He rapped his knuckles lightly on his head. "Knock on wood; I've been clean every time."

"But what about me? Shit! I slept my way across Europe last tour."

"So get tested. The wait's nerve wracking, but it's worth it." Byakuya sat next to him on the bed. He put his arm around the rock star. "It's okay, if we don't…" He smiled when Hiten looked at him. "I was starting to feel like a groupie." He smiled.

Hiten barked out a little laugh. "Yeah…"

Byakuya grinned. "How about I go shower for you. If you want to jerk off, go ahead. You know, if you did, I think I'd like that a lot better."

"Yeah…?"

He nodded. "Yeah… I might even 'join' you." Byakuya smirked. "First one to shoot his load buys the other breakfast."

"Wait a minute! Who said you were staying the night?"

"I did. You don't like it, too bad."

Hiten frowned. "I don't."

"Too bad for you," the younger man smirked. "I just don't feel like going home by myself tonight and the club scene is starts to wind down about three. It's late and by the time I get there, all the cute ones'll be taken." Byakuya felt he was taking a huge risk here, but somehow it felt right. That things would work out in the end and that even if they did have sex, it would not destroy their budding friendship.

"So any port in a storm as they say, hunh?" Hiten looked sadly at him. _That's a lonely road to walk, kid…_

"Not really. You're cute and I sincerely hope aren't taken." Byakuya smiled. "And even if reeks of tawdry peepshowism, I still want to have sex with you. I always wanted to do a rock star; even it makes me the biggest groupie in the universe."

"At least you're honest."

"Yeah… And I like you; you're fun to hang out with. I had a great time with you, you remember, when we went club hopping after the record signing, so what do you say? I give you a show and you give me one for my nonexistent future grandkids."

Hiten snorted in amusement. "I don't know…"

"Yes you do, and you know you'd do me in a heartbeat if you weren't afraid of AIDS."

Hiten's eyes widened. That had hit really close to home and he was at a loss for words.

Taking his lack of protest as agreement, Byakuya got up and sauntered into the bathroom. He could see Hiten watching him turn on the water in the shower through the glass window-wall. When the temperature felt warm enough for bathing, but not so hot it would fog the glass, he stepped inside. Grabbing the soap, Byakuya worked some lather. He watched Hiten with a self satisfied smirk as he rubbed the soap on his body. He made a show of washing his pecs, rolling his nipples between his forefingers and thumbs. When he sure he had Hiten's attention, he smoothed the suds across his abs, dipping his hands lower and lower until he reached the thatch of dark curls at the base of his cock.

Hiten smiled and stood up. He pulled his band t-shirt over his head, taking it off, and tossing it on the bed. His skin tight jeans and underwear soon followed. Naked, he showed off his well toned body for the younger man's pleasure. Walking between the bed and the glass "wall," he stood there, stroking himself. It was as close to having sex as he could have now without infecting someone, so he seized the opportunity with both hands and just went with it.

Byakuya took the hint and began stroking his cock, his soapy hand sliding up and down his rapidly hardening shaft. He reluctantly stopped, and turning around so that his back was to the other man, he cupped his buttocks. He teased Hiten, as well as himself, by running his fingers lightly against the cleft. Leaning slightly forward, he spread his cheeks.

Hiten moaned softly. Byakuya was so close and it hurt having him there, without being able to really do anything about it. Gripping his cock tightly, he continued to stroke. A few minutes later he came, splattering the glass with his spent lust. He sat back on the bed and watched the younger man continue his show.

Byakuya was also close to cumming as he reached up to play with nipple. He imagined it was the other man pleasuring him and he moaned softly. As he stroked himself, he hoped he could convince Hiten to touch him and he was willing to wear condom too if that was what it took to get him to do so. He stroked a few more times, before he felt his balls tightening and he came, shooting his load on the shower floor. It flowed down the drain with the soapy water. Panting as he closed his eyes, Byakuya waited a few minutes, before he rinsed off. Turning off the water, he got out of the shower. He toweled off, before padding over to the bed. "I think you owe me breakfast," he smirked.

Hiten laughed. For the first time in the sorry mess that his life had become, he was able to forget all that and just be in the moment. "I believe you're right," he chuckled. "And thanks…" he softly added.

"You're welcome." Byakuya sat down next to him on the bed. Cupping Hiten's cheek, he leaned in and kissed the rock star. Keeping it light and simple, he gently coaxed him into going further. When he tried deepening it, Hiten pulled back. "I'm sorry, Hiten, I didn't mean to…"

"No, I should be sorry. I just can't. Things… they're a lot more complicated than I've let on." He sighed. "I'm living in a state of I don't know what, but it lies somewhere between fear and regret." Hiten looked sadly over at him. "And I'm lonely too, which makes it so hard not to give in and I can't do that to you. What if I'm… sick?" He put a hand on Byakuya's thigh. "You're a nice kid, even if you do have a smart mouth at times," he smiled, "And it would kill me inside if I found out you got sick cuz of me…"

"What are you saying? You have AIDS?" Byakuya could not help moving away.

"No, no, no! I'm just saying I don't know and I don't want to take a chance, that's all..."

"Oh…."

"Yeah…" Hiten got up and hunted around for his clothes. "What do you want to do now?"

"Well, since you're not into sex," Byakuya smirked and at the look on the rock star's face, he added, "it's a joke, Hiten, you can smile."

Hiten smiled sheepishly at him.

"Anyway… I think you need to wipe up your spooge before we figure out what do."

Hiten's smile broadened into a grin. "If you insist."

"I do."

Shrugging, he walked into the bathroom, returning a few minutes later with a box of tissues. Hiten wiped the glass clean. He took the tissues back into the bathroom and flushed them. Looking at the shower, he snorted in amusement and turned on the taps. After adjusting the water temperature, he stepped inside and took a quick shower.

Byakuya watched his silhouette as it went through the motions of bathing. It was not the "show" he had put on, but he still found it erotic none-the-less. He was very hard when Hiten returned, wearing nothing more than a damp draped low on his hips. His cock twitched in anticipation of the sex he had a feeling would never happen.

"You want to play, play," Hiten said. Ignoring the young man in his bed, he looked for clean clothes in his suitcase. Finding what he was looking for, Hiten got dressed. "I'm kinda tired."

Byakuya nodded. He was stroking himself and he moaned softly as he pushed himself closer to his release. He felt like he was back in high school, with its clumsy attempts at hooking up, resulting in mutual masturbation and timid experiments in homosexual sex. He soon came, rolling his eyes at Hiten when he tossed the box of tissues at him. It was his turn to clean up and he did so in a hurry as he wanted to get back to bed and maybe snuggle up next to Hiten if he would let him. It was so hard to get a read on the man. Byakuya was sure he wanted to have sex, and yet… And yet he was equally sure the way to piss him off was to be pushy about it. _Maybe if I become the shy neko, it'll be just the thing to get him to open up… He seems so lonely and unhappy… Maybe his previous relationship ended badly… I know how that is… Hell, I think just about everyone has at least one in their lives… _He sighed sadly as he got bed.

"Hunh?" Hiten got into bed.

"I think I'm tired too, so let's just… sleep?" Byakuya said. He walked into the bathroom and flushed the tissues.i _What a stupid thing to say…/i_ he mentally berated himself. He hurried back to bed.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Hiten quipped as he turned off the light and rolled onto his side, facing away from the younger man, trying to get comfortable. The bed moved a few minutes later and the room was plunged in darkness when Byakuya crawled back into bed. Settling in, Hiten was mildly surprised to feel a familiar warmth behind him, reminding him of all the times he and Bankotsu had shared a bed when they first started touring.

Byakuya decided to snuggle up behind Hiten. He figured he had nothing to lose and despite Hiten's reluctance to touch him or be touched, he could feel him relax when he put his arm around him. Byakuya wished he would sleep naked too, but took what he could get, telling himself it was the guy's special brand of kink. So he snuggled up next to him and simply listened to his friend and would-be lover's breathing even out as he drifted off to sleep. It proved to be rather soothing and it was not long before Byakuya was asleep as well.

"Hey, Hi-chan! Get up!"

Hiten groaned. He was mildly hung-over and someone sounding a lot like his brother was pounding on the door.

"The guys and I are heading out for breakfast and we want you to come with!"

Hiten rolled over onto his back, or tried to. There was someone else in bed with him and that someone was snuggled up behind him. He ran a hand over his face, trying to clear his sleep fogged brain. The pounding in his head and on his door did not help. Groaning softly, he got up out of bed. He hurried over to the door and opened it. "Man-chan?"

"Morning, Sunshine!" Manten pushed past his brother and entered his room. "Sleep well last night?"

Hiten nodded, instantly regretting it as it made his headache worse, as he closed the door behind him. He followed his brother to the main sleeping area of his room.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Manten turned to his brother. "Are you out of your fucking mind?" he cried when he saw a pretty vaguely familiar young man, who was also naked, get up out of bed.

"Good morning to you too," Byakuya said. Comfortable in his skin, he ignored the brothers as they carried on a silent argument while he hunted around for his clothes. Finding his leather jeans, he quickly pulled them on. Sighing softly, he walked over to them. "Hiten, why don't you get dressed and we'll go get some breakfast. Care to join us?" The last bit was directed at Manten.

He sputtered. "No… Hiten, breakfast?"

"Man-chan, I don't think you remember him, but this is my friend, Byakuya… He's a model like Jakotsu," Hiten said. "You know, one of those single name types," he added, trying to cover up the fact that he had no clue what his last name was.

"Suzuki Byakuya," he said.

"Hayashi Manten…" Manten frowned.

"We're friends, Hayashi-san, not lovers. I needed a place to crash for the night and your brother was nice enough to let me stay, that's all." Byakuya grinned. "I also like to sleep naked. It's no big deal, right, Hiten?"

Manten's frown deepened. He did not like the way Byakuya was so familiar with his brother, calling each other by their first names only. It was like the intimacy shared between lovers, especially the way they would look at each other when they thought he was not looking.

"Nope… So if you don't mind, Man-chan, my friend and I want to go to breakfast." Hiten picked up his jeans from the floor and pulled them on.

"Friend and personal assistant… Now that I don't have work, Hiten was kind enough to offer me a job, and I accepted. Hiten do you think I'll have time to do a bit of shopping and get some stuff I need. Maybe another pair of jeans, some t-shirts, socks…" Byakuya grinned, "underwear."

"Sure. You'll need a bag to toss them in too. We don't have anything to do until five… a quick rehearsal, some dinner and the show at eight."

"Sounds like a plan then."

"Yeah… See you then, Man-chan," Hiten said as he tried to usher them all out of his room.

"He tell you he's HIV positive?" Manten said, not caring how damaging that little statement was.

Hiten froze and he had to remind himself to breathe. "Mah…" he started to say, or tried to, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

"Yeah…" Byakuya said smoothly, as if it was no big deal. Meanwhile his head was spinning as he realized how foolish he was the night before. It did explain Hiten's behavior, but it should have been the man himself telling him that because they were hovering around the point of intimacy where he needed to know, and not because his brother was feeling pissy about him spending the night with him.

Hiten looked over at him and nodded. They needed to discuss things, preferably in private or his career was over. He could not believe how stupid and thoughtless his brother was, and as much as it hurt, it was also a relief. He no longer had to pretend around Byakuya and the way he stuck around and did not flinch at Manten's little revelation gave him hope he could salvage their budding friendship.

"Come on, Hiten, I'm hungry. I guess we'll see you later, Manten-san," Byakuya said, grabbing the elder brother by the arm and pulling him towards the door.

"Yeah…" Hiten said. The next thing he knew, he was in a cab heading towards a touristy area in downtown Tokyo, where a few enterprising souls opened up some small European-style cafes. They catered to a foreign clientele, mostly tourists, and they offered cheap, yet filling breakfasts. They were discovered by some of the die-hard partiers of Roppongi's club scene as a way of soaking up last night's alcohol. The cab stopped in an area full of tiny alleyways. They got after paying and Hiten followed Byakuya down an alley full of small eateries.

They entered one of them and sat down. As it was close to eleven in the morning, it was relatively empty, which suited them both. After placing an order and enjoying a cup of freshly brewed coffee, Byakuya waited for Hiten to start explaining. When no explanation was forthcoming, he sighed. "Look, I know what your brother did was wrong, but what's done is done, you know…?"

"Yeah…?" _He's going to leave, I just know it…_

"I'm sorry, you're sick…"

Hiten nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

"But now I guess that means I really do have a job." Byakuya smirked.

"What do you mean?" Hiten felt a pang of fear stab him in the heart. _Great! He's going to write a tell-all full of lies… I just know it…_

"Well, you'll need someone to help deflect the press in case your bother shoots off his mouth again and… I'm willing to help. I know a lot of girl models who are into being arm candy for a night too. Nothing says 'I'm not gay" like a hot chick on your arm."

Hiten smiled. "You'd really help me?"

"Yeah… I mean what are friends for?"

"To bail you out of jail or in the case of best friends, share a cell with you?"

"Exactly!"

"Thanks…"

"Don't mention it…"

They made small talk while waiting for their breakfast sandwiches to arrive. A few minutes later, their waitress brought them over. Lapsing into companionable silence while they ate, they were able to quickly finish as Byakuya had things to do before agreeing to meet back at the hotel. After paying the check, they each left in separate cabs.

Hiten sat in the back of the cab, lost in thought. Everything seemed so bleak yesterday, like his life was not worth living any more, but now, he had a glimmer of hope. Instead of running from him, like his family and friends did, with exception of his brother and fellow band-mates, Byakuya stayed. And while they could never be lovers, Hiten would settle for a deep and lasting friendship. He was glad he was able to resist the temptation of sleeping with Byakuya and that it was not as hard to share a bed as he feared. He knew it would take a lot of hard work, but he was hopeful they could hammer out some sort of a relationship with what they were given to work with as he so sick of being alone. He had the feeling Byakuya was also tired of being alone. He hoped that was a sign that they were meant to be together.

It was not long before the cab reached his hotel. After paying the driver, Hiten walked inside, feeling happier than he had been in a long time.


End file.
